Mohali planning committee ineffective in last nine years; spends ₹26 lakh to no effect

The Mohali district planning committee was constituted in 2006 with Dera Bassi MLA NK Sharma as its first chairman

Even though the Punjab government on Tuesday appointed Vijay Sharma Tinku as the new chairman of the Mohali district planning committee, the government organisation, in the last nine years, has remained largely ineffective, with only six meetings held, ₹26 lakh spent, but hasn’t taken any major decision that could have a positive impact on the lives of the residents.

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The Mohali district planning committee was constituted in 2006 with Dera Bassi MLA NK Sharma as its first chairman (2007-2012). He held five meetings; four of them were held in 2010-11.

In 2012, Punjabi singer-cum-actor Harbhajan Mann took over the charge as chairman and resigned in 2014, but convened only a single meeting, following which Amanjot Ramoowalia, the daughter of former SAD leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia took over. She too resigned in November 2015 after failing to convene a single meeting and the post remained vacant for 10 months.

In September 2016, Krishan Pal Sharma, a close aide of NK Sharma, was appointed as chairman, but he too failed to convene a single meeting for approval of agendas for the development of the district. He also resigned when the Congress came to power in 2017.

WHAT DOES COMMITTEE DO

The work of the committee is to consolidate plans prepared by the panchayats and the municipalities in the district and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. The committee has to prepare priority-wise list of schemes and programmes, taking into account the resources available and those provided by the state government, besides monitoring the progress of projects and making efforts to generate additional resources for development works with the cooperation of people, non-governmental organisations, non-resident Indians and other agencies.

In the last nine years, the ₹26 lakh spent by the planning body went into paying the honorarium of ₹30,000 per month to the chairperson, telephone, electricity and office expenditure.

As per the record, between 2008 and 2015, the committee got a grant of ₹58 lakh that, too, was spent on giving furniture, utensils and other items to various clubs and organisations in the district. In 2014, the Punjab government released a grant of ₹28 lakh, but the same lapsed as the committee failed to spend it. At present, the committee does not have any funds.

WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAD PROPOSED

The committee had proposed to turn Mohali into a cultural hub and had planned an open-air theatre in Sector 62 to host international events, but the project failed to take off.

In the wake of the absence of public transport, the committee had proposed to launch a local bus service in Mohali, but nothing became of it.

To promote sports infrastructure, especially for children, Harbhajan Mann had proposed to set up local academies.

Committee had even planed to promote libraries in the town by establishing one in each phase.

WHAT THEY SAY?

I do not know what has happened in the past, but I will make sure to develop Mohali in a big way, specially the villages in Mohali. Residents will be provided with all basic amenities.

Vijay Sharma Tinku, newly elected chairman, district planning commit

Looking at past record, the committee has failed to do anything. It is just waste of public money as they have already spent ₹26 lakh in one decade. It will be better the committee is abolished and civic body is strengthened by appointing an energetic bureaucrat.

CL Garg, Confederation of Greater Mohali Residents’ Welfare Associations